March 2019 Newsletter

Posted March 5, 2019

Northeast Ohio Sierra Club
March 2019 Newsletter

Northeast Ohio Sierra Club’s next Conservation Committee meeting will be held at 7 PM on Monday, March 4 at the Cuyahoga County Public Library Brooklyn Branch,4480 Ridge Rd in Cleveland. Our Executive Committee meeting will be held directly following the conclusion of the Conservation Committee Meeting

Help protect Cleveland residents from lead poisoning!

Help Cleveland Lead Advocates for Safe Housing (CLASH) get the proposed Lead Initiative on the November ballot. The Lead Initiative would require all city rental properties and day care centers built before 1978 to be tested for lead hazards and be certified as Lead Safe by 2021. Sign the petition here or sign up to volunteer for CLASH.

National Geographic: Symphony For Our World

Sunday, May 19 at the Ohio Theatre in Columbus.

This unprecedented event pairs National Geographic’s stunning natural history footage with an original symphony composed by Bleeding Fingers Music, performed live by a full orchestra and choir. Driven by a five-part composition, the show brings viewers from the depths of the sea, up to coastlines, over mountains, and soaring into the sky. Each movement results in a powerful musical tribute to the beauty and wonders of our wild world. The 90-minute show highlights groundbreaking imagery and storytelling from 130 years of beloved National Geographic history.

Symphony for Our World is officially licensed by National Geographic and produced by Jason Michael Paul Entertainment with support from Innovation Arts & Entertainment.

Special Offer: Save 20% on Tickets! Use code WWD20 for 20% off. Tickets are on sale now.

Cuyahoga County Plastic Bag Ban

Sierra Club member Constance Frederickson is working to put together a coalition of organizations, individuals and students who will activate Cuyahoga County to pass the Council’s own curb/ban on store dispensing of plastic bags. This legislation has been languishing since 2017. Contact your Council Representative (phone calls and US mail are most effective). Tell them we need to stop plastic proliferation now.

Letters can be addressed to your representative at 2079 East 9th Street – 8th Floor Cleveland, Ohio 44115. Go to council.cuyahogacounty.us to find your council member and/or their phone number if you prefer to call. One councilman has indicated that there is some support and that a simple majority vote will win the day, the other members just need to hear from constituents to get it pushed through. Time is of the essence, and the sooner they hear from you the more likely it is to be brought to a vote in the near future. Questions can be directed to Constance Frederickson at 440-239-0185 or Dave at cfh_honkala@yahoo.com.

Pollinator Partnership is excited to announce that we have been awarded another 2-year grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to continue our regional seed collection and habitat enhancement efforts for monarchs and now, the rusty patched bumble bee, through our new initiative: Project Wingspan (PW).

We are seeking volunteer seed collectors, collection locations, and team leads, as well as public land managers and private land stewards in the region (IL, IN, MI, OH, PA, and WI) who are interested in filling out our online habitat survey to participate in a habitat acreage count and be eligible for plant material awards.

This project is a great opportunity for Master Gardeners, Master Naturalists, park friends groups, naturalists, native plant societies, public and private land owners/managers, universities, land trusts and conservancies, community organizations, natural resource students and professionals, and others to engage with their local community, support imperiled pollinators, gain valuable skills, and get your habitat counted. To take part in the survey, go to pollinator.org/wingspan/survey.

✻ Living Green – Being a Part of the Solution – Sunday, March 10, 11:45am, West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church, 20401 Hilliard Blvd, Rocky River. Go at 11:45am for pizza, then 12pm – 2pm for presentations by area organizations that help citizens transition to renewables, recycle and compost most effectively, and keep abreast of legislation in Columbus that helps or hurts our collective progress toward sustainable living. Free and open to the public.

✻ Plant This, Not That – Thursday, March 21, 7pm – 8:30pm, Room A-B, Cleveland Heights Library, 2345 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights. Learn how to deal with garden thugs that take over your garden and our natural areas. Why are non-native plants undesirable? Where did they come from and why? Examples of what to plant instead will be discussed. Presented by Friends of Lower Lake, Co-chair John Barber and Doan Brook Watershed Partnership. Free and open to the public.

✻ Are We Heading Towards the Next Silent Spring? – Sunday, April 28, 2pm – 4pm, Cleveland Museum of Art Recital Hall, Wade Oval, University Circle, Cleveland. Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring raised the red flag decades ago that pesticides were not only killing insects, but also disrupting the delicate balance of nature. The outstanding documentary Nicotine Bees will be shown, which reveals crucial information about the crash of honeybee populations. To commemorate Earth Day 2019 this is a free public event sponsored by the Sierra Club.

Committee News

There are many opportunities to volunteer with the Northeast Ohio Sierra Club. We have an opening in our ExCom Committee, we need fundraising and events volunteers, help with Inspiring Connections Outdoors–a program for taking kids on monthly outings and more. Read more…